In an attempt to take on Amazon in the smart speakers market in India, Google has launched its own smartphone speakers — Google Home and its mini variant Google Home Mini in India at a launch event in New Delhi.
The Google Home is priced at Rs. 9,999 (approximately $153) while the Home Mini is priced at Rs. 4,499, which roughly converts to $69. Both the speakers will be available for purchase in India online exclusively through Flipkart and select offline stores, including Reliance Digital, Chroma and others.
The Google Home will be available in Chalk color, whereas the Google Home Mini will come in Chalk and Charcoal colors. While the company has launched Home and Home Mini, the Google Home Max has not been launched in India. However, there’s a possibility that the company could bring the Home Max to India at a later date.
Those who purchase the device will also receive free six months of subscription for Google Play Music and some special offers from Gaana and Saavn Music. Further, there’s also a 10 percent discount if the speakers are purchased using HDFC credit card. Furthermore, Flipkart, as well as few offline stores, are also offering a free JioFi router on the purchase of Google Home or Google Home Mini.
The smart speakers, which are powered by Google’s voice assistant, Google Assistant, are capable of performing a range of tasks, from playing music and checking traffic to reading out news and recipes.
The company says that the speakers have been tweaked for India and Google has also roped in local news partners for providing headlines through the device. Users will be able to access various apps using the device, as well as IoT devices.
According to Google, it has partnered with more than 200 brands for bringing support for more than 1500 devices, which can be controlled via the Google Home series of speakers. The devices also respond distinctly to more than one user as they come with a Voice Match feature, allowing each user to access their music, calendar and other services based on their voice profile.
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In India, the newly launched Google Home and Home Mini will go up against Amazon’s Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus, which starts at Rs. 4,499 (approximately $69) and are powered by Amazon’s own smart assistant — Alexa.
